Let Freedom Ring

Newsweek ^ | 4/16/2003 | Martha Brant

[Utah Girl]

In a monumental first meeting, Iraqi diplomats and exiles—and the U.S. military—discuss democracy in the ancient city of Ur

Iraqi exile Entifada Qanbar is a pretty tough guy. He fought in the Iran-Iraq War for five years. He was arrested by Saddam Hussein’s abusive secret police. Eleven of his close friends were executed. He escaped Iraq in 1990 and hadn’t been back—until yesterday.

TUESDAY AFTERNOON, when we landed at Tallil Air Base in Iraq, the 44-year-old couldn’t keep from crying. “It’s a great thing. A dream that came through,” he said. “This is something I dedicated all my life for.” Qanbar, who represents the Iraqi National Congress (INC) in Washington was one of a group of about a dozen diplomats, military brass and exiles that flew from Central Command in Qatar to Southern Iraq for the first meeting to discuss a new government. “It feels safe to come back,” Qanbar said.

Our pilots didn’t feel quite the same way. The C-130, a cavernous plane that has its innards exposed, started defensive maneuvers as soon as we crossed the “fence”—the Iraqi border—just after noon, Iraq time. The pilots donned body armor, dumped fuel and dropped down to 200 feet above the desert floor. Then we started weaving. When we landed, after a first attempt that was aborted with a sharp turn, it felt as if we dropped from the sky. Several of the VIPs on board threw up into newspapers.

... The meeting did not produce too many specifics. They outlined 13 principles that they want to see in a new government—from democracy to the demise of Saddam’s Baath Party. And they took their first ever vote in free Iraq: a show of hands that they would hold another meeting in 10 days’ time. But the very fact that the gathering happened was monumental. For the tribal leaders, many in traditional dress, talking about these ideas is totally new. “They are still nervous,” explained Hoshyar Zebari, a representative from the Kurdish Democratic Party. “They don’t believe Saddam is gone yet.” If seeing is believing, they also won’t believe the United States does not intend to rule Iraq until Garner et al pack their bags and head home.